Madame Tussaud's London 2015

One family that visited recently came back with this review...

'Founded by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud, this wax museum has become a major tourist attraction displaying world famous people and historical personalities from different walks of life.

Madame Tussauds defined fame by saying that "No one can be considered popular unless admitted into the company of Madame Tussauds' celebrities in Baker Street."

Our family loved the entire experience. Our 11-year old grandson was delighted to have his photo taken with "the Royal family, President Obama, Yoda and Chewbacca" while our seven-year old was delighted with "Shrek, Usain Bolt and Salman Khan." I was surprised to see so many Bollywood entries. Some true to life - others, like Amitabh Bhachchan, nearly true to life!
The whole visit was thrilling and we got some great photos, the grandchildren said that it was their best outing of the whole summer.
But what really took us by surprise was the cab ride for two through The spirit of London and the Marvel Super hero 4D movie experience. The effects were amazing. The Chamber of Horrors was really scary. All you could hear was screaming.
It certainly was a great family experience.'

Hong Kong; from the Hong Kong Standard today

"Violent tactics will kill support base: Lau
(12-02 11:04)

The chairwoman of the Democratic Party says if pro-democracy protesters resort to violence, they'll lose the support of people who originally backed the Occupy movement.
Emily Lau Wai-hing was commenting on Monday' s clashes between demonstrators and police.
Protesters have been holding peaceful blockades across Hong Kong since September but are becoming frustrated at the lack of response from the government to their demands.
Lau told RTHK this morning that the Occupy movement had to make sure its message got across, adding that most people in Hong Kong supported democracy but might not support the occupation strategy. --RTHK"   

From Radio Television Hong Kong

"One of the main organisers of the Occupy Central Movement, Chan Kin-man, on Tuesday made a public appeal to protesters to consider either retreating from occupied roads or to continue protesting in a smaller area.

Professor Chan said it was necessary to minimise the disturbance that the movement was causing the general public in order to gain support for the pro-democracy movement in the long term.

In a newspaper article, the sociology professor said he hoped protestors will reflect on what they wanted to acheive (sic) through their actions.

Professor Chan asked if they want to continue fighting for Beijing to change its conservative framework for political reform in Hong Kong, or to gain support from more citizens to prepare for a long-term pro-democracy movement.

He said chances that Beijing could have a change of heart were slim and public opinion has clearly turned against the Occupy movement.

Professor Chan said the priority now should be to minimise the disturbance the movement was causing to people's daily lives in order to win their support.

He said protestors should consider retreating from some protest sites.

Professor Chan went on to say that if some pan-democratic lawmakers were willing to resign to trigger a by-election to serve as a de facto referendum, the protestors should consider retreating immediately.

The Federation of Students, which has taken over the leading role in the Occupy protests, did not give a direct response to Professor Chan's proposals.

Its Secretary-General, Alex Chow, said the Federation has to first discuss the issue with protestors before deciding on a response.

But he noted that retreating was only one of the many ways to gain public support.

A recent survey by the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that more than two thirds of respondents thought it was time for the occupiers to retreat."

Conclusion of Hong Kong Judgement on Protest Movement

I have been sent a copy of the judgement handed down concerning the so-called "Umbrella" protests.
Here's the conclusion.

""139. The concept of the rule of law must include and embrace the notion that every resident and the government alike should obey and comply with the law. As said by Hartmann J (as the learned NPJ then was) in Secretary for Justice v Ocean Technology Ltd (t/a Citizens’ Radio) [2010] 1 HKC 456 at paragraph 9, the concept of rule of law means that every resident of Hong Kong are governed by and bound to the operation of the law.

140. Under the rule of law, even if the defendants are of the view that a court order (including an ex parte order) is wrongly granted, instead of simply disobeying it, they should first comply with it but seek to challenge and argue against that order in court under due process and in accordance with the law. As said by Hoffmann LJ (as Lord Hoffmann then was) in Department of Transport v Lush (unreported, 29 July 1993)[29]: “…the law cannot allow obedience of its orders to be a matter of individual choice even on grounds of conscience”.

141. It is therefore wrong for any suggestions that the rule of law is not undermined or under challenged if people can freely or intentionally disobey the law first and then accept the consequences of breaking the law. The rule of law cannot realistically and effectively operate in a civilised and orderly society on this basis.

142. The upholding of the rule of law must therefore be built upon, among others, the due administration of justice for the enforcement of court orders and the law. This is also one of reasons why the independence of the Judiciary, and the respect for the dignity and authority of the court are fundamental tenets of the concept of the rule of law.

143. However, recent events relating to these actions have shown that there is a real risk that the due administration of justice and the respect for the authority of the court, and therefore the rule of law in Hong Kong, would be seriously undermined:

(1) As I have mentioned above, the ex parte injunctions, which are valid and proper court orders until set aside, have been openly disobeyed and flouted by the defendants en masse.

(2) Not only that, and worryingly, there have also been repeated open suggestions by a number of public figures (including some legally trained individuals) to the public and the protestors and demonstrators en masse to the effect that ex parte injunctions need not to be complied with until they had been determined after an inter partes hearing, and that there is no challenge to the rule of law from merely disobeying civil orders, and that the rule of law is only threatened when there is disobedience of an actual order of committal for contempt of court. As I have said above, these suggestions, with the greatest respect, are in my view wrong and incorrect and would cause the public and the defendants an unwarranted misunderstanding on the concept of the rule of law.

144. When the rule of law and the due administration of justice are at the risk of being seriously challenged and undermined, as it is now, the court must act and strive to protect and uphold them for the benefit and best interest of the general public.

145. The present circumstances therefore undoubtedly justify and call for the inclusion of the police authorisation direction in these injunction orders. The direction would send a clear message to the defendants that civil court orders should be obeyed and about the serious consequences for breaching them."

US, Bangladesh Navy Commence CARAT Training

Dhaka Tribune Report (original text, not written by Rani Singh)

The fourth annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Bangladesh exercise commenced with an opening ceremony at Naval Base Issa Khan on September 25, says a press release.

Continuing through September 30, CARAT Bangladesh 2014 consists of six days of shore-based and at-sea training events designed to address shared maritime security priorities, to develop relationships, and to enhance cooperation among participating forces.
   In its 20th year, CARAT is a bilateral exercise series between the US Navy and the armed forces of nine partner nations in South and Southeast Asia, including Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
   “In just a few years, CARAT Bangladesh has become the premier engagement between our navies,” said Rear Admiral Charles Williams, Commander of Task Force 73 and US 7th Fleet’s executive agent for theater security cooperation in South Asia.

This year, the vessel USNS Safeguard, with a mobile diving and salvage unit, will join Bangladesh Navy ships including the former Hamilton-class cutter, BNS Somudro Joy and the frigate BNS Bangabandhu. Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7 staff will embark Somudro Joy as part of a ship rider exchange. 

 For the first time, a Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will participate in CARAT Bangladesh alongside the Bangladesh Navy’s Dornier, taking naval aviation training to the next level and enhancing shared maritime domain awareness. 

“We are looking forward to going to sea with the Bangladesh Navy this year and training with their ships and aircraft in the Bay of Bengal,” said Captain Fred Kacher, Destroyer Squadron 7 Commodore.  “We expect to learn a great deal from them about operating in these vital waters, which connect our navies and our nations.” 

- See more at: http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/sep/28/us-bangladesh-navy-commence-carat-training#sthash.RpQ8ygai.dpuf

NATO WALES SUMMIT PROGRAMME

The Summit will open on 4 September and the Secretary General will put it in context at a doorstep scheduled for 9h35 local time.

It will start at 11h45 with the Secretary General and Prime Minister Cameron officially welcoming Heads of State and Government.

This will be immediately followed by an official family photo at 12h30.

The Summit will formally open with a meeting on Afghanistan at 13h00. The Allied Heads of State and Government will meet with 27 partner countries including ISAF contributors (Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, El Salvador, Finland, Georgia, Ireland, Jordan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Montenegro, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Sweden, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Turkey recognizes the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name), Tonga, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates), countries from the region (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan) as well as Japan. High level representatives of the United Nations and the European Union will also attend.

The second meeting on 4 September will start at 16h45 and will be a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. President Poroshenko of Ukraine has been invited.

Heads of State and Government will then attend a working dinner in Cardiff which will start at 20h30.

On 5 September, the 28 leaders will hold two sessions of the North Atlantic Council. The first session will take place at around 9h30. The second session will start around 13h00.

NATO Defence and Foreign Ministers will attend the Summit and hold parallel meetings.

On 4 September at 14h15, NATO Foreign Ministers will meet their counterparts from the four aspirant countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Turkey recognizes the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name).

At 16h30 NATO Defence Ministers will meet their counterparts from 24 partner countries which cooperate with NATO on interoperability. The format will be 28 Allied Defence Ministers and Ministers from the following partner countries: Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Georgia, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Turkey recognizes the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name), Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates.

Two separate working dinners will take place in Cardiff for Foreign Ministers (2010 start) and Defence Ministers (1930 start). A separate dinner with partner countries will take place at Celtic Manor, starting at 20h00.

On 5 September at 9h30, Foreign Ministers will hold consultations with the EU, the OSCE and the Council of Europe. The Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (Didier Burkhalter), the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (Thorbjørn Jagland) and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union (Catherine Ashton) are invited.

On 5 September at 11h00, NATO Defence Ministers will meet with their counterparts from Australia, Finland, Georgia, Jordan and Sweden, to discuss enhanced opportunities for cooperation.

Watching Reena and Rami Ranger

I am watching the rise of Reena and Rami Ranger on the London scene. They make a really interesting father-daughter pair. Both have a natural air, a Punjabi wholeheartedness and business acumen. But there’s still something quite down to earth about them. Recently, Rami Ranger MBE, FRSA, Chairman, Sun Mark Ltd won an unprecedented fifth consecutive Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade. Prime Minister David Cameron visited the headquarters of Sun Mark Ltd. in Greenford on Friday 18th July 2014 to present the award. Rami Ranger connects Britain to 115 countries through trade. He built his empire in the UK from the ground up. His son-in-law Harmeet Ahuja is the Sun Mark CEO. Dr. Ranger oftentimes pays tribute to his mother; he says she taught him the values which have been the bedrock of his success. She brought Rami and  his siblings up to be wholesome people despite having lost her husband during the partition of India and despite having to live in abject poverty in a refugee camp.  Reena Ranger is making a name for herself by expending energy in the right sort of ways if public service is her goal. She has worked very hard and is now a councillor. She’s Dr. Rami Ranger’s eldest daughter and Chairwoman-Founder of the social organisation, Women Empowered. She worked for the family business from a young age and learnt to deal with all aspects of the company under the guidance and support of her father. What is unusual about Reena is that she is steadily and consistently creating formats through Women Empowered for people to connect and to learn. The sessions always incorporate a questions and answer session where the questions are not controlled in any way. And in the recent Vivek Oberoi event that I attended, Reena quite patiently waited until well after most of the guests had got their photos with the star guests before politely and quietly asking if one could be taken of her husband and herself with Vivek. I know Reena is making waves because many women I meet swear by Women Empowered and tell me it makes a difference to their lives. I like the notion of giving in this fashion rather than doggedly working at being a councillor as a career step to becoming an MP with little else apart from work. And the talk is that it won’t be long before Reena is given a seat to fight. Her family is behind her all the way. As for Rami, he supports where he can and many events I attend bear the discreet hallmark of his backing. He is pioneering  and a  nice story of a successful immigrant. He doesn’t ever dwell on current success, rather on how he and his family struggled to build from nothing. I don't normally single out people who host events or businessmen on their own in this site but I feel I need to make an exception in the case of these two people. One, a well known face in the community, has made a massive contribution to trade and industry, the other, definitely on her way up the political ladder- and doing it with  a fair amount of grace.  Full disclosure; Rami happens to be a friend of my late father's. But he has taken a lead among the current generation of business owners that is worth noting.  .